Autonomous Floor Cleaning Robot

• US 20080000042A1
• Filed: 08/06/2007
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Nugent, David, Mack, Newton, Jones, Joseph, Sandin, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 9,167,946 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/319
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/282 having rotary tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4061 Steering means; Means for avoiding obstacles; Details related to the place where the driver is accommodated
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4066 Propulsion of the whole machine
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/00 Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/06 Control of the cleaning action for autonomous devices; Automatic detection of the surface condition before, during or after cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/30 with driven dust-loosening tools, e.g. rotating brushes
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/34 with height adjustment of nozzles or dust-loosening tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 7/02 with driven tools for special purposes with floor-polishing tools A47L11/20
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0411 driven by electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0477 Rolls
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0494 Height adjustment of dust-loosening tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1409 Rigid filtering receptacles dust collecting receptacles for cyclones A47L9/1683
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2826 the condition of the floor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2852 Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2894 Details related to signal transmission in suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/32 Handles

Abstract

An autonomous floor-cleaning robot comprising a housing infrastructure including a chassis, a power subsystem; for providing the energy to power the autonomous floor-cleaning robot, a motive subsystem operative to propel the autonomous floor-cleaning robot for cleaning operations, a command and control subsystem operative to control the autonomous floor-cleaning robot to effect cleaning operations, and a self-adjusting cleaning head subsystem that includes a deck mounted in pivotal combination with the chassis, a brush assembly mounted in combination with the deck and powered by the motive subsystem to sweep up particulates during cleaning operations, a vacuum assembly disposed in combination with the deck and powered by the motive subsystem to ingest particulates during cleaning operations, and a deck adjusting subassembly mounted in combination with the motive subsystem for the brush assembly, the deck, and the chassis that is automatically operative in response to an increase in brush torque in said brush assembly to pivot the deck with respect to said chassis. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot also includes a side brush assembly mounted in combination with the chassis and powered by the motive subsystem to entrain particulates outside the periphery of the housing infrastructure and to direct such particulates towards the self-adjusting cleaning head subsystem.

Claims

1-77. -77. (canceled)

78. An autonomous floor-cleaning robot comprising:

a housing infrastructure including a chassis;

a power subsystem for providing the energy to power the autonomous floor-cleaning robot;

a motive subsystem operative to propel the autonomous floor-cleaning robot for cleaning operations;

a control module operative to control the autonomous floor-cleaning robot to effect cleaning operations;

a brush assembly powered by the motive subsystem to sweep up particulates during cleaning operations;

a vacuum assembly powered by the motive subsystem to ingest particulates during cleaning operations, the vacuum assembly including a vacuum inlet positioned behind the brush assembly, the vacuum inlet including a first compliant blade having a generally rectangular configuration and a lateral dimension that defines a predetermined width of the vacuum inlet

79. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot of claim 78 wherein the vacuum inlet further comprises a second blade having a generally rectangular configuration that is complementary to the configuration of the first blade, wherein the first and second blades in combination define the vacuum inlet having the predetermined width and gap.

80. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot of claim 79 further comprising a plurality of protrusions between the first blade and the second blade to form the predetermined gap of the vacuum inlet.

81. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot of claim 78 wherein a free lateral edge of the first blade has a castellated configuration to mitigate the pushing of particulates by the vacuum inlet during cleaning operations, the castellated configuration defining a plurality of castellated segments along the free lateral edge.

82. The autonomous floor-cleaning robot of claim 78 wherein the first blade is angled forwardly with respect to the housing.